1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to processing of data sets, and more particularly to the decomposition of complex data sets for use in interpreting well logging data produced in hydrocarbon prospecting.
2. Background of the Related Art
Classification of well log data based on some petrophysically meaningful properties is an important aspect of formation evaluation. Many petrophysical parameters (e.g. porosity, fracture spacing) have complex distributions that are often the result of several natural phenomena or physical processes superimposing themselves on each other (e.g., grain interpososity+vug porosity, multiple fracture sets from different geological events). Log data provides a means for measuring the complex distributions (e.g., porosity distributions from logging data recorded by Schlumberger's FMI and CMR tools), but the discrete phenomena, processes, etc. that make up such complex distributions are difficult to extract.
A method is therefore needed for decomposing complex distributions into a set of underlying simpler components that can be individually processed.